In order to improve fuel consumption of a vehicle, a travel control apparatus that performs burn-and-coast control is known (for example, see Patent Literatures 1, 2). The burn-and-coast control refers to control which repeats control (burn control) in which a vehicle is accelerated by driving force of an internal combustion engine and control (coasting control) in which generation of the driving force of the Internal combustion engine or rotation of the internal combustion engine is stopped so that the vehicle travels by inertia.
In such burn-and-coast control, the internal combustion engine is operated in a condition (high load) with relatively high efficiency or the operation of the Internal combustion engine is stopped. Accordingly, a period in which the internal combustion engine is operated in a condition (low load) with relatively low efficiency becomes short (or becomes zero), and thus the fuel efficiency is improved compared to a case where constant speed travel Is executed.
In a hybrid vehicle or the like capable of compensating travel force when the internal combustion engine is stopped by driving force of a rotation electric machine, it is considered that an effect of the improvement of the fuel efficiency by the burn-and-coast control is large.